English Reference
verb · noun

stalk

v. · n.
US /ˈstɔk/ UK /stˈɔːk/ stalk UK spelling stalks

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    v.to follow a person or animal quietly and secretly, usually to catch them or watch them.

    v.to pursue or approach game or an enemy stealthily. Transitive when a specific target is mentioned.

    Simple

    The tiger began to stalk the deer through the tall grass.

    In context

    The leopard spent hours stalking its prey, moving with such fluid silence that not a single dry leaf rustled under its paws.

  2. 02 B2 Upper Intermediate Law

    v.to follow or try to contact someone constantly in a way that is scary or annoying.

    v.to pursue or harass a person with obsessive and often illegal attention. Frequently implies a pattern of behavior rather than a single incident.

    Simple

    He was arrested after he continued to stalk his ex-girlfriend for months.

    In context

    The celebrity was forced to hire additional security after a fan began to stalk her, appearing outside her private residence daily.

  3. 03 B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Computing

    v.to look at someone's social media profile very often to see what they are doing.

    v.To obsessively monitor a person's social media activity without their knowledge or direct interaction.

    Simple

    I spent the whole evening stalking my old school friends on Instagram.

    In context

    While technically harmless, his habit of stalking his competitors' LinkedIn profiles gave him a slight edge in understanding their hiring trends.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced Literary

    v.to walk in a stiff, proud, or angry way.

    v.To walk with a stiff, haughty, or indignant gait. Intransitive; often used with 'out' or 'away'.

    Simple

    After the argument, she turned around and stalked out of the room.

    In context

    Offended by the suggestion of impropriety, the diplomat stalked out of the chamber without offering a final rebuttal.

  5. 05 B1 Intermediate Botany

    n.the main stem of a plant, or the part that joins a leaf or fruit to the stem.

    n.The main stem of a herbaceous plant, or a slender support such as a petiole or pedicel.

    Simple

    She cut the celery stalks into small pieces for the soup.

    In context

    The heavy rains caused the sunflower stalks to bend, though they did not snap under the weight of the saturated blooms.

  6. 06 C2 Proficiency Technical Math

    n.a technical term in math used to describe data near a specific point.

    n.The direct limit of the sections of a sheaf on the open neighborhoods of a point. A fundamental construction in algebraic geometry and topology.

    Simple

    The professor explained how to calculate the stalk of the sheaf at that point.

    In context

    To understand the local behavior of the geometric object, one must examine the stalk of the structure sheaf at the given point.

Evil oligarchs and their influence stalk the world, my world, your world.

The Guardian· 23 Aug 2026
This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated